Surviving as a Terminally Ill Heiress - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 75

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Terion’s condition began to improve, slowly but steadily.
Just as we couldn’t explain why he’d collapsed in the first place, we couldn’t explain why he was recovering now.
When I gently told him that Olivia was dead, he merely nodded.
It was then that I asked what I’d begun to suspect.
“Is that why Terion collapsed too?”
“…… Probably.”
It was an evasive answer.
Two weeks passed before I could hold a longer conversation with him.
The truth was, Terion knew very little.
Olivia had made all the decisions; he simply did as he was told.
Everything—her words, her actions, even the means by which she altered his very appearance.
The procedure, she said, had taken place in a bathtub.
She’d filled it with clean water and submerged him in it.
Then she’d murmured words in a language he couldn’t understand.
Almost certainly.
‘Sorcery.’
The power of a demon king.
Legend held that someone who had once been nothing more than a shell had awakened a force that neither Holy Power nor Magical Power could detect.
‘No wonder Sky and Forest didn’t know.’
They’d all been deceived, even before the scales of truth themselves.
The Grand Temple was in a state of emergency.
They’d been aware of the Helmut Religion’s existence, but had never imagined it wielded such influence.
Not some common household, but Ambrose itself—targeted for consumption.
‘Like parasites.’
Becoming counterfeits so perfect they seemed more real than the genuine article.
How many more parasites were hiding throughout the empire even now?
I had so many questions about Sorcery…….
So I called for them.
“Come in, Sky and Forest.”
Both had their own reasons to feel guilty, so they came at once.
Of course, they’d been overwhelmed by Sorcery—there was no helping that—but now the Grand Temple, Pandium, and Ambrose all awaited their apologies.
The identically featured brothers looked at each other identically and felt identically contemptuous, then
“Still defenseless against Sorcery…… ”
they despaired identically.
I patted both their shoulders identically.
“Exactly how does Sorcery work?”
“It requires a price,” Forest answered.
He held up his hand, and white light bloomed from it.
“Holy Power, like this, can simply be used by anyone who possesses it—though each person has their limits, of course.”
“Magical Power works the same way.”
Black light, like mist, appeared in Sky’s palm.
It never ceased to amaze me. I had neither.
“And a price means……?”
“Simply put: a Sacrifice.”
In other words, someone’s life.
Vast quantities of lives had to be offered periodically to sustain such power.
Yes, it made sense. It was truly the power of a demon king.
As Sky and Forest continued their explanation, I glanced at Terion.
His face remained composed, as if he’d anticipated it, but his knuckles were white where he gripped the blanket.
Anticipation doesn’t always spare you from shock.
And I suspected he was thinking the same thing I was just now.
‘Olivia’s Red Dress.’
She’d worn red dresses far more than was natural for her.
Deep crimson ones, like the color of blood.
Olivia had shown no suspicious signs while in the Mansion.
Then those Sacrifices must have been among the items that Freeman, our ally, had sent her.
At the time, they were merely clothes or ornaments, so we’d noticed nothing strange.
“…… You two, could you examine something for me?”
I called for a maid and had her bring several red dresses from Olivia’s room.
The moment Sky and Forest used their abilities on the dresses that arrived, both of them covered their noses.
As though the stench were unbearable.
To ordinary people, they would have smelled only of perfume, but I said nothing and simply sent the maid away.
Priests and mages were inheritors of divine power.
They could smell death.
That alone was answer enough.
“It must have been truly vile Sorcery…… no wonder his body couldn’t bear it,” Forest murmured sadly.
Terion’s inner form had been so thoroughly damaged that he could barely move, even when taking Tasis to sustain himself.
I bit my lip before speaking.
“How do we restore Terion to his original state?”
“The easiest way would be for the one who cast the Sorcery to undo it…….”
Impossible. Olivia was dead.
Even in death, she remained useless to her son.
“In truth, with a Sorcery that changes the Shell like this, the best approach would be for him to break free from the Core himself,” Sky murmured.
Forest nodded in agreement.
Break free from the Core himself?
Before I could ask what that meant, Sky reached toward Terion.
Black light and wind seeped into his body.
It was what Forest had done to me before.
‘He’s inspecting his Magical Power.’
I understood now.
Sorcery deceived Holy Power and Magical Power.
Conversely, Holy Power and Magical Power were forces that could unmask such deception.
It meant Terion’s best chance was to overcome the Sorcery himself, using his own Holy Power or Magical Power.
It made sense, certainly.
“Hmm…… He doesn’t seem to have Magical Power.”
Sky’s brow furrowed slightly.
That made sense. Possessing Magical Power or Holy Power was hardly common.
Even I had only heard such a thing from Forest the last time.
He’d inspected me with white light just like this, then made that exact same expression.
“Holy Power……!”
“Does he not have it?”
“He has quite a lot of it!”
How was that possible?
It was frustrating, but fortunate nonetheless.
I looked at Terion.
He still held the blanket in silence.
“So Terion can overcome the Sorcery using his own Holy Power?”
“In theory, yes,” Forest nodded.
“Sorcery isn’t unbeatable—it’s simply undetectable by Holy Power and Magical Power. With sufficient Holy Power and proper training……”
“Training will be necessary, then.”
“Yes.”
Sky folded his arms and murmured thoughtfully.
“The durability of the Shell will be key. The more malevolent the Sorcery, the deeper it embeds itself in the body. Even if he pushes from within, it could take considerable time.”
“How long?”
“We don’t know. It varies from person to person.”
Not a clear answer.
But if that was all we had……
I looked at Forest.
“Can the Temple provide training?”
“Of course. The Temple’s doors are always open.”
It meant anyone, should they wish, could take vows and be admitted.
Terion still showed no reaction.
The boy needed time even for conversation. He’d rarely made decisions of his own before.
So I spoke for him.
“We’ll think about it for now.”
Forest nodded.
The twin brothers filed out of Terion’s room side by side.
I walked them to the door, but as they were leaving, I asked Sky, almost in passing.
“Is Kiel at the Estate?”
“Ah…… well, as for Kiel, he’s been in the Capital.”
What?
I blinked.
“Since when?”
“He’s been staying there for quite some time…… since around last autumn, I believe.”
A strange numbness crept across my mind.
My recent affairs had set all of Atera ablaze with gossip.
Not favorable gossip, either.
I’d been caught up in scandal and spent a month in what was only nominally freedom, though it felt like imprisonment.
And yet, the person who’d been conspicuously absent from my presence these past months—he’d actually been in the Capital all along.
I blinked a few times, then simply said, “I see.”
With the boisterous twins gone, the room fell completely silent.
I closed the door behind them and sat at the foot of Terion’s bed.
“You heard that?”
“…… Yes.”
“What do you think?”
Terion was quiet for a moment before speaking.
“I don’t know.”
This boy often said those words.
At first, I thought it was evasion. Now I understood it was the truth.
He genuinely didn’t know. Not about others, but about himself. He didn’t even understand that he was capable of thought and judgment.
“You didn’t know you had Holy Power?”
“…… No.”
“And having so much of it—you never felt anything unusual? Not even once?”
Terion lowered his gaze for a moment.
He seemed to be considering, as if experiencing that strange feeling for the first time.
“Sometimes. When I prayed.”
“Prayed?”
“Before entering the bathtub.”
I simply listened.
So he’d prayed before each horrifying transformation—before she buried and rewrote his very self.
Had he begged for divine intervention? For someone, anyone, even a god, to save him?
I reached over and patted his pale hand.
“Let’s focus on recovery first.”
“…… ”
“Once you’re stronger, we’ll talk about this again.”
Terion nodded.
The hand gripping the blanket was slightly less tense than before.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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